The Untold Story of Cirrus Quell
by Flintlightning
Summary: All the children scorned by the Capitol tortured, murdered we thank you. The year of 23rd Hunger Games was known as time of great change and great violence. My name is Cirrus an orphaned from district 7. Worked since I was 9 my name went in twice when I was 12 and it's been going up ever since. But that's not why I'm here... Im here because I volunteered.


Hey Guys this is my first fanfic on this site. So it would mean a lot to me if you read & review.

* * *

I stare absently into the sky deep in thought until my best friend Barkley breaks me from my gaze.

"Cirrus I think we should start heading over to the reaping,"says Barkley.

I grimace at the sight of Barkley's ugly black eye. Looking at his eye just gives me a painful reminder of what happened last week. But I push the memory to the back of my mind.

"We still have an a hour so let's take the long way," I reply. Since I'm in no hurry of getting to the square early.

"Ok then but let's just go and get this over with," says Barkley nervously.

Barkley has no idea how much of a slap in the face his comment just was to me. Because little does he know this won't be over today for me anyway. But the only response I give to him is a curt nod. Barkley and I both step off my front porch and leave my hole in the wall of a home.

Barkley and I both live in the poorest part of district 7 called Woodbridge. The place is full of filth and you smell the sickening odor of garbage spreaded on the dirt roads from a mile away. Woodbridge is filled with orphans like me or former sick lumberjacks who are to old to work anymore.

* * *

The farther we distance ourselves from Woodbridge the bigger and the nicer the houses start looking. I can see in the distance Evergreen Valley that's where all the rich kids stay. Well rich for district 7's standard anyway I think to myself.

"Hey kids ya Hungry?" I turn around to see Mr Jack sitting in a rocking chair on his front porch.

Barkley and I both nod our heads and sit on Jack's doorsteps. Jack is a rich middle aged carpenter he has two young boys who aren't reaping eligible yet. Jack hands both of us a bowl of potato soup. You see Jack is sorta like a uncle to me he and my father were best friends. Ever since my father's death he's looked out for me always making sure I have something to eat on my way to and from work.

Barkley eats like he hasn't eaten in days (though that might actually be an accurate statement). Looking at Barkley he's not very tall for a 17 year old and barely could tip over a 100 pound scale. I'm not exactly huge myself but I'm a decent enough size to be big enough to be a lumberjack.

The three of us talk about the lastest district gossip and reminisce of told times. I can tell that Jack is just trying to help keep our minds off of the reapings. After 20 minutes of sitting and talking with Jack. Barkley and myself stand up and head for the town square.

"Good luck boys," I hear Uncle Jack shout from behinds.

"Thanks" we both yell back in unison.

* * *

As we approach the square I can see thousands of kids standing in line to get their blood drawn. A few spots in line ahead of us Barkley spots his 12 year old cousin Forest.

"Hey Forest how you doing," Barkley asks.

"I...I'm O...Ok," Forest nervously replies.

Barkley obviously catches the nervousness in Forest's voice. Because he attempts to calm Forest's nerves with his next reply.

"Don't you worry District 7 is huge you really don't have anything to worry about," replies with a smile.

But I still can see a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

* * *

I stand close to front of the stage with some of the other 17 year olds. By now it's starting to hit me on what I'm going to have to do in a just few moments. I'm sweating like a criminal right about now. I'm looking through the crowds for one particular man. And then I find him and our eyes lock onto each others. He has that Capitol look in his eyes and he has this uniquely styled beard, shaved in a intricate design. He pats his gun holder and gives me a wink before he turns around and resumes his conversation with a peacekeeper.

I'm starting to have a headache with all the constant ringing in my ears. I don't even bother listening to our chubby and dry talking mayor as he gives his same typical speech about the Dark Days that he does every year. Once Mayor Stemly finishes he introduces our capitol escort. For the moment our escort Sabrina Styles is able distract me from my thoughts.

"Hello District 7" shrieked Sabrina excitedly from the podium.

Sabrina is looking rather um... "interesting" this year. Her outfit is nothing more then a white two piece swimsuit. Her skin complexion is an unnatural pale white. She probably just had some expensive Capitol surgery I think to myself. And to top her new look off she has a ridiculous looking curly white whig. I bet she's freezing in that bikini because it can get very chilly in district 7 this time of year.

I look behind Sabrina to see district 7's two and only victors Woody Westbrook and Maple Lumber sitting down beside Mayor Stemly.

"Good luck citizens and may the odds be ever in your favor," Sabrina says in a heavy Capitol accent.

"How original," Barkley mutters sarcastically beside me. 7

"How about we do the ladies first this year," Sabrina says as she pulls out slip of a paper from the girls glass ball.

"Oakland Oliver" I see a pretty girl come forward from the 15 year old section. She has a few silent tears running down her face as she takes her place on stage. I'd bet my last dollar that she's from Evergreen Valley. She might be able to survive the bloodbath but people from Evergreen Valley aren't really ever Victor material.

"Now onto the boys," Sabrina says as she pulls out a second slip of paper. My heart is racing I swear it feels like it might just pop out of my chest. If I don't get onto that right now I'll be dead by the end of today.

"Forest Huntington"

"I Volunteer" I shout at the top of my lungs like my life depends on it. I hear many gasps all around me. Both of district 7's Victor's look at me stunned. Sabrina is jumping up and down clapping with excitement. District 7 has never had a volunteer before most other districts don't have volunteers either besides the career districts.

"Now that's the spirit what's your name young man" Sabrina asks me excitedly.

"Cirrus Quell"

"District 7 I present to you your tributes for the 23rd Hunger Games Oakland Oliver and Cirrus Quell. Please shake hands you two," Sabrina says as she smiles right into the cameras not even bothering to look at either of us.

I turn to shake hands with my district partner. Oakland shakes my hand but the look on her face tells me that she's trying to figure me out.

* * *

So much has happened in the past hour. It seems like ages ago when Barkley and I were sitting on Jack's front porch. I only have to wait 5 minutes before Barkley comes barging through the door.

"You didn't have to do it" Barkley exclaims frantically.

I'm alittle taken back that this is the first thing Barkley has to say to me.

"I didn't have to do what?" I ask confused by the question and confused by the tone in his voice.

"Volunteer for Forest he's my cousin if anybody should've done anything it should've been me," he replies quickly.

I can tell that all of this must be killing him. To be honest I don't even remember Forest's name being chosen.

"I didn't volunteer to save Forest," the moment my words come out I wish I could them back. It would be a lot either to play up the whole noble volunteer act. Instead of being the scared seventeen year old boy who's just trying to save his own behind type of a volunteer. But if one person in Panem should know the truth then it should be Barkley.

"If you didn't volunteer to save Forest then why in the h..." Barkley stops in mid sentence. I can tell that he's putting all the pieces together in his brain.

"This is about that Capitol guy isn't?" Barkley asks me even though now he already knows the answer.

All I can do is nod.

"Well we don't have a lot of time left. But trust me I know that you can do this," Barkley tells me.

The next thing I know two peacekeepers come intruding into the room telling us our time is up. I hear Barkley tell me good luck right before the door shuts.

My second and last visitor is Uncle Jack. He has a real stern look on his face but his eyes are still soft it's almost like he's pitying me.

"Listen I don't know what made you volunteer. But that's all irrelevant because your here now and there isn't any going back. When you're in the arena do your best to try and find some water. When your at training center try to learn something new. Don't worry to much about weapon training your already skilled with quite few of them. Cirrus you have just as good of a chance as the careers. You wanna know why?" he uses this question to pause and to finally take a breath.

"Because you are a survivor Cirrus"

"Thanks Jack" I say as I reach out and hug him. This unusual for me because I'm definetly not a hugger. But Uncle Jack embraces me back anyway.

"You know ever since your dad died I've always thought the same of you just like my other two boys," he says to me.

"I know" is all I manage to say back. Jack probably would've even let me live in his home with him and his own children. If it wasn't for his witch of a wife who didn't want any "Woodbridge trash" living in her home.

The Peacekeepers come into the room to tell us our time is up. Jack and I say one more goodbye and then he leaves. As I watch him go through the door I can see many more people still lined up to say goodbye to Oakland. It's funny though because I had only two visitors and Oakland must atleast have twenty. I guess I'm not as much of a people person. Oh well I don't think I would be able to handle twenty goodbyes anyway. My own two were already hard enough.

I still have about 50 minutes of goodbye time left. But nobody comes to visit me which isn't surprising so I just sit and look out the Justice Building window.

I can hear sobbing coming from Oakland's room next door to me. Then I hear a door slam open and more screaming. Whoever is talking to Oakland must be out of time. I can her them screaming to the peacekeepers to let them go. The last thing I hear the person say to Oakland is that she can do it.

It's funny because I got told the exact same thing twice. I guess every tributes love ones tell them the same things.

Uncle Jack's words suddenly comeback to me.

"You are a survivor Cirrus."

He's right I am a survivor. You see my father Cedar Quell raised me as a single lumberjack father for my whole childhood. My mother abandoned us when I was just three years old. She went and married some rich guy and started a new family.

Just after my eighth birthday my father caught this horrible virus. I was young and naive at the time. But I was still old enough to understand when someone was dying.

My father started teaching me everything he knew about using a saw and an axe so that I would be able to get a good lumberjacking job one day . He even taught me how to use a knife. At the time I didn't see how being able to use a knife would make me a good lumberjacker. But looking back on it I think my father knew that if I was gonna survive on the streets it would be necessary for me to know how to use a knife. My dad died shortly before my ninth birthday.

A peacekeeper comes into my room to tell that my time is up. As I get up to leave I'm relieved to know that today is almost over. But I know that the real games have only just begun.

* * *

A/N This story is based off of a short film that I saw on YouTube called Cirrus Quell. The amazing director of the film name is Joshua Chrislett. I suggest to anyone that likes this story to go check it out. To be honest I had only expected the reaping chapter to be about 1k but it ended up being double that amount. I hope to have an update by next week.


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